The kitchen is often referred to as the “heart of the home.” Once a room solely for cooking meals and baking cookies, this area has transformed into a special space for entertaining guests and spending time with family. Lighting is an aspect of the kitchen that greatly influences the atmosphere, mood, and design of your home.

Good lighting helps you to transform your kitchen into a functional and attractive space where guests will love to linger. From industrial influences to large-scale fixtures, learn what’s trending in kitchen lighting from Progress Lighting, a Toll Brothers vendor partner.

Industrial influencesFixtures with an industrial flair support a great, clean-lined look for kitchen settings, and are a strong trend for 2014. Inspired by mid-century design, these fixtures are more masculine than your traditional lighting sources.

Large-scale lightingThe use of oversized fixtures is another popular trend for kitchen lighting, so don’t shy away from fixtures that make a statement. Position one or two large pendants over a table or kitchen island to create a focal point for the room, while providing adequate task lighting for completing everyday kitchen activities.

New finishesNew hardware finishes featuring warmer metals are popping up in kitchen design. We’re noticing a shift away from cooler stainless steel metal, to warmer finishes such as Venetian Bronze. Matte, antiqued, or black metals are also popular finish options for 2014.

Clean, bright lightingAnother trend we’ve noted is the use of decorative pendants and chandeliers to complement white cabinetry and countertops. Lighting that displays a clean design contributes to the bright atmosphere for rooms full of whites and lighter hues.

We had such a powerful and positive experience during our home building process… (Kelly Bishop & Mike Dougherty) have made this whole building process a positive and fun experience. They are supremely knowledgeable and made countless important suggestions on the design of our home. Their input was very beneficial and we feel it made a major difference in the finished product… As experienced homebuyers, it is our strong opinion that Toll Brothers is very lucky to have Kelly and Mike as employees.

Take a glimpse into the world of Toll Brothers and the luxury home communities that we are building in the most spectacular locations nationwide! Please spend some time to read and savor, Toll Lifestyle.